The final match of the first weekend back from the international break in the MLS comes from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium where two of the higher profile sides in the Eastern Conference clash as Atlanta United host the Philadelphia Union.
Philadelphia went into the break in excellent form and while Atlanta have only lost once this season they find themselves much bearer the bottom of the Eastern table than the top so it will be interesting to see what impact the break has had.
Where to watch
The match will be shown in full on the Sky Sports Football channel with the programme beginning at 7.10pm and the kick off coming along shortly after that.
Atlanta United
There were high hopes within the Atlanta United franchise when Gabriel Heinze took over. He was seen as a very promising and progressive coach but I think over the first couple of months in charge he has come to terms with the size of the task presented with him. Atlanta went backwards by a huge margin under Frank de Boer and Stephen Glass pretty much had his hands tied for the remainder of the season. Slowly but surely he is turning it around but his side now need to find a way of turning these draws into wins.
One of the issues Atlanta have had over the last 12 months or so is finding the back of the net. They are so reliant on Josef Martinez in that regard and the fact he is away on international duty, although part of the Venezuela squad that has had Covid-19 options, is not going to help them any in this match. Atlanta do go into this match unbeaten at home though so that will give them some confidence heading into the game.
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Philadelphia Union
The current Supporters’ Shield holders Philadelphia Union took a little while to get up to speed this term, although admittedly the majority of their focus was understandably on the Champions League, but when that tournament was parked they have pretty much picked up where they left off in the MLS. They head into this match having won four of their last five and they only conceded one goal in that spell so unless the international break has halted their progress, they will be more than hopeful of picking up another win here.
The Union have become a real force under Jim Curtin. They are perfectly proficient in the defensive areas of the pitch and they carry quite a goal threat at the other end of the pitch. They may also be fuelled by motivation of failing in the play-offs last season as well and that is another thing that is going to make them dangerous. We are used to Philadelphia being strong at home but actually this season they are undefeated on the road.
Betting
I like the Union here. We saw last season just how Atlanta United struggle without Josef Martinez and while Philadelphia Union miss Jose Martinez who is also at the Copa America, I think they can cover for his absence a lot easier than Atlanta can cover for their talisman. Atlanta really struggle for goals without Martinez and while their squad isn’t quite as bare in his absence as it was last season he would be a big miss for any side at this level.
I’m not surprised that Philadelphia are unbeaten on the road. They have a good defensive base and then going forward they have plenty of options, either through the movement of their front two in open play or from set-pieces to get a goal. Not only are Philadelphia unbeaten on the road but they haven’t conceded a single goal yet. I think if there is going to be a winner in this match it will be them so on the Asian lines where a draw gets us a half win I’ll side with the visitors here.
Tips
Back Philadelphia Union (+0.25AH) to beat Atlanta United for a 3/10 stake at 1.81 with BetVictor
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